The Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck - 1664 Words

In the novel The Grapes of Wrath, author John Steinbeck describes the lives of the poor families, land and property less farm workers in California during the Dust Bowl. This novel tells the story of the hardship of the thousands of migrant workers; also describes a close story of the struggle the Joad family faces throughout this novel. The living conditions of these migrated workers were miserable, filled with starvation, homelessness depression and despair. There are multiple views of Karl Marx’s idea of communism presented in this novel, including his radical ideas that the proletariats should unite and revolt against the bourgeoisie. In the novel it has been stated that in order for the proletariats to change their current state, the proletariats need to form a union, revolt against the bourgeoisie, and eventually establish self government. Through the Marx’s lens you will see how communism guides through all the oppressions the Joad family faces in this novel wh ich are by religion, property, family, law and work; and see how the capitalism causes the demolition on forming an utopian society. Steinbeck wrote the novel from a Marxist point of view. Steinbeck is supporting Marxist ideas by illustrating the powerful bourgeois individuals who are involved in capitalism, as bourgeoisie owners try to take advantage of those less fortunate. The upper class exploits the less fortunate in capitalism. During the dust bowl, there has been tremendous suffering of the socialShow MoreRelatedThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck Essay1622 Words   |  7 Pages The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck, widely viewed as one of the most finest and powerful American writer, born to a middle-class family in 1902 in the Salinas Valley of California. Steinbeck is a writer who often spoke for the people. The Grapes of Wrath is a great movie, published in 1939, filled with many universal truths and views on human nature and society, especially where class is concerned. In the article, John Steinbeck The Grapes a wrath: A Call to Action says, â€Å"Steinbeck’s novel showcasedRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1075 Words   |  5 PagesKirsten Lloyd Mr. Eldridge AP Junior English 21 August 2014 Grapes of Wrath â€Å"Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.† (Seneca), In the 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, the reader accompanies the Joad family as they struggle to escape the crippling Dust Bowl of the mid- 1930’s. In hopes of establishing a new life for themselves after being forced off their land the family embark on a journey from Oklahoma to California in search of fruitful crops and steady work alongRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1563 Words   |  7 Pages John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, depicts a migrant farming family in the 1930s. During this time, life revolved around the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, making circumstances difficult for almost everyone involved, especially those who had little. This time of drought and despair caused people to lose hope in everything they’ve ever known, even themselves, but those who did not, put their hope in the â€Å"promised land† of California. Here, the grass was thought to be truly greenerRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1189 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Grapes of Wrath† Shortly after being released John Steinbeck’s book â€Å"The Grapes of Wrath† was banned because many critics viewed the novel as promoting communist propaganda, or socialist ideas. The ideas that many of these critics point to is Steinbeck’s depiction of the Big Banks/ Businesses as monsters, the comparison of Government camps to a utopia in contrast of the makeshift â€Å"Hoovervilles,† and the theme of the community before the individual, In his novel â€Å"The Grapes of Wrath† John SteinbeckRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1093 Words   |  5 Pages In John Steinbeck s The Grapes of Wrath, Tom Joad and his family are forced from their home during the 1930’s Oklahoma Dust Bowl and set out for California along with thousands of others in search of jobs, land, and hope for a brighter future. The Grapes of Wrath is Steinbeck’s way to expound about the injustice and hardship of real migrants during the Depression-era. H e utilizes accurate factual information, somber imagery, and creates pathos, allowing readers connections to the Joad’s plightRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1190 Words   |  5 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath April 14th, 1939, John Steinbeck published the novel, The Grapes of Wrath. The novel became an immediate best seller, with selling over 428,900 copies. Steinbeck, who lived through both the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, sought to bring attention to how families of Oklahoma outdid these disasters. Steinbeck focuses on families of Oklahoma, including the Joads family, who reside on a farm. The Joad family is tested with hardship when life for them on their farm takesRead MoreThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck702 Words   |  3 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s use of the intercalary chapters in The Grapes of Wrath helps weave the reader’s sympathy of the Joad family into a more broad sympathy for the migrant farmers as a whole, in the hopes that the readers would then be compelled to act upon what they have read. During the Great Depression, people had a big disconnect about what was happening in various parts of the country. People often struggle to find sympathy for events when they can’t even visualize a person who is suffering throughRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck2144 Words   |  9 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath is a well-known beloved novel of American Literature, written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. Whoever said a road is just a road has not read The Grapes of Wrath. From the time we read when Tom Joad, novel’s protagonist, returns home after four years in prison; the meaning of roads changed. Route 66, also known as the mother road the road of flight, was a lifeline road, which allowed thousands of families to pursue their hopes and dreams. This road is also the road thatRead MoreThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck1014 Words   |  5 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, was first written and later published in the 1939. Fr om the time of its publication to date, the exemplary yet a simple book has seen Steinbeck win a number of highly coveted awards including Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and later on Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. Set at the time of the Great Depression, the book most remarkably gives a descriptive account of the Oklahoma based sharecropper Joad’ poor family in the light of economic hardship, homelessnessRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1064 Words   |  5 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath, originated from a John Steinbeck’s book, a legendary film that focus on a major point of American history. The story follows the Joad family on their journey to California trying to survive the hardships. This film, focus on the social problems of America like the Dust bowl, The Great Depression, and industrialism. The Grapes of Wrath was filmed in a journalistic-documentary style, which displayed the realism of the epidemic in the thirties. The thirties the period The Grapes

The Road Of The Trail Of Tears - 1334 Words

The Trail of Tears has been one of the most controversial government sponsored events in American History. Was America justified in destroying a culture in its pursuit of Manifest Destiny, or did they feel it was their only option in this matter at the time? Based on research, I feel that the American policy of Indian removal and relocation was extremely unethical and unjustified in its motives and execution. Before Europeans arrived in present-day America, the Native Americans were living on millions of acres of land their ancestors had occupied and cultivated. Many Native Americans were initially somewhat willing to share land with original settlers. However, when settlers began taking land that already belonged to the Natives,†¦show more content†¦Cherokee Indians and some Choctaw Indians attempted to follow these guide lines and blend in with Americans, sending their children to schools and some even started to own slaves. Even though many Cherokee and Choctaw Indians tr ied to assimilate with the American culture, they were still forced out of their homeland and were rarely truly accepted by the white population as anything other than tamer savages. Despite the Native’s attempts to conform to society, they were still discriminated against, losing their land, homes, and property. As white settlers began to realize the value of the Native’s land, many began to encroach west after the Louisiana Purchase. Settler’s wished to use the land for plantations and farms. As the desire and need for more land grew, the state governments began to realize the futility of trying to contain the settlers’ attitude of Manifest Destiny and they soon joined in making laws that would limit the rights of the Native Americans. The Supreme Court attempted to stop this harsh treatment of the Natives, but were ultimately ignored as the harsh treatment continued. Southern states were determined to have the Native’s land for their own and they felt this was reinforced

Remember the Titans Free Essays

Remember The Titans The theme of this movie is that we should treat everyone with equal respect, regardless of their skin color or race, sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity, or religion. We should accept everyone for who they are, rather than trying to change them. It also shows the integration of a racist America into a culturally accepting society with the help of a teacher/coach. We will write a custom essay sample on Remember the Titans or any similar topic only for you Order Now Boone and Yoast are the two main coaches in Remember the Titans. Boone is the new african-american coach and his coaching style is a firm, aggressive one, with high expectations and tough way of reaching these expectations. He is often seen yelling at his players, but never in a way that could be seen as detrimental. Coach Yoast on the other hand uses positive reinforcement to make a better team. He is never seen yelling, is more subtle in his intentions, and although he too has the same high expectations like Boone, he is softer in his ways. I believe that Gerry Bertier is a strong leader and a great role model in this film. He is seen as a strong role model being the captain of the football team, a typical american all-star. He appears competent to his followers in that he is good at leading his team, and is often seen yelling at his teammates when they appear faulty. His teammates, family, and friends rely on him to carry the team. Gerry has high expectations, and wants to have it all- be captain, with a beautiful girlfriend, a perfect family, great friends, college expectations and the hope of winning the championship. Gerry is willing to, after some time, accept his fellow african-american teammates and plays a key role in helping his family and friends do the same. He ends up being inseparable from Julius, an african american teammate. A pivotal scene in the movie is when he tells his former best friend and teammate that he is no longer allowed to play on the team because he purposefully allowed an african american teammate to be injured and proves he will no longer stand of racism. The scene is the movie when Boone takes the boys to the cemetery at 3:30 played a key role in desegregating the team. It was the site for the Battle of Gettysburg, where men fought for the freedom and equality of african americans. He tells them that their families fought for the ability for whites and blacks to coexist, and they were setting them back by not doing so themselves. The five stages of team development are perfectly shown in this film. The first, forming, is shown towards the beginning of the movie where there are two separate teams, neither wanting to combine with the other. They are both seen as strong and close-minded in their views. Then there is the storming phase, which is after the teams must combine to form one racially integrated team, and there is much conflict among them, mostly for petty reasons. Then there is norming, where many of the conflicts can be solved, the teammates have gotten to know each other more and can tolerate each other and a sense of renewed optimism emerges. This level is followed by performing. They come together as a team and are able to perform well during games, win all of them, and are seen as friends and teammates. The final level, adjourning is played around Gerry’s car accident. The team feels heartbroken, and must play the final game without their star player, and it tests their ability to come together, support their teammate, and prove how far they’ve come. Gerry’s definition of family is that family doesn’t just include your immediate genetic relatives, but those whom you love and respect. Gerry and Julius have grown so much together and sometimes only had each other. This concept of family also connects the the theme of the movie- accepting diversity. Did I learn anything form watching Remember the Titans? Absolutely. From a teaching standpoint, when I am in a diverse classroom, I can take the methods of Boone and Yoast, such as integrating other cultures of students together so that they may learn about each other before they judge each other, and that sometimes I need to be firm and not stand for any form of racism. From a non-teacher standpoint, it helped remind me how far we’ve come in history, and how hopefully one day there will be a similar movie on integrating and accepting the gay community as equals because the message of treating EVERYONE as equals isn’t as powerful if not everyone is actually treated as an equal. How to cite Remember the Titans, Essay examples Remember the Titans Free Essays Remember the Titans Directed by Boaz Yakin, Remember the Titans explores racism in the community of Alexandria and the struggles of dealing with an integrated society, school and football team. Remember the Titans makes evident that ultimately the community of Alexandria are the real winners after the Titans gain victory at the Championship and the public learn to accept the opposite race and treat them with newfound respect. The creation of friendships, their attitudes towards each other and realising opportunities are all positives that came from the gradual acceptance of change. We will write a custom essay sample on Remember the Titans or any similar topic only for you Order Now Characters in the film form friendships within the community whether they’re African-American or Caucasian, subsequently to the good example set by the Titans’ Championship team. This is seen through Julius Campbell and Gerry Bertier when they are placed in a room together on football camp causing agitation between the two. Julius and Gerry first meet when they are seated together on the bus and Coach Boone announces â€Å"the person I have you sitting next to is the same one that you’ll be rooming with for the duration of this camp†. The two characters show their hate for each other in many ways, the first being on the bus Julius tells Gerry he â€Å"can shut-up†, causing more conflict between the two. Together with the encounter over a poster in their room, it’s clear the two are far from friends. Although as the team starts pulling together and begin to win their games of football this changes dramatically. Gerry listens to Julius and lectures one of the team members, Gerry’s best friend about his terrible blocking for one of the African-American players. This results in Julius and Gerry shouting â€Å"left-side† â€Å"strong side† at each other, being the start of a close friendship and unity. This great friendship develops over time and they soon become so close they call each other â€Å"brother[s]† and Gerry invites Julius over to meet his â€Å"mama† which is a big deal, considering at the start of their friendship Gerry’s mum didn’t agree with it. Sheryl and Nicky become friends after the Titans work as an integrated team and they gradually grow to have similar interests instead of being totally opposed to spending time with each other. In the beginning of the film the two girls were totally different, Sheryl not putting in any effort to â€Å"play dolls† or Nicky refusing to play basketball because she â€Å"just did [her] nails†. Ultimately they get excited with each other about the Titans winning streak and celebrate by hugging and jumping around together. This shows friendship formed because of the Titans and the team’s victory. The success of the Titans is a positive reflection on the relationships formed within the team, where their cohesion allows the rest of the Alexandria community to see the benefits of amalgamation and inter-racial respect. Conclusively the whole town of Alexandria benefitted and were the winners after all, due to the Titans helping form friendships. In the film, Remember the Titans the town of Alexandria was disadvantaged by being segregated, where not only were the people in the community missing out on friendships opportunities, but also business and team opportunities. They were missing out on a different, more helpful and compassionate way of life. An example of this is the business that turns away Petey and Blue to eat there because they’re African-American. The diner misses out on a sale not only then, but from all the other hundred or more Negro people that would purchase food there if they were accepted. But instead they were told â€Å"to head out back and pick it up from there† as if having a person with a different appearance in their diner would affect business sales. â€Å"in Virginia, high school football is a way of life,† and throughout Remember the Titans the team are significant social leaders, to both races; black and white. Especially after the Titans win the Championship, the audience sees Alexandria realise that their people are all the same, and finally start to treat each other with some respect. â€Å"You taught his city how to trust the soul of a man, rather than the look of him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  If Alexandria was still segregated the friendships wouldn’t be the same: the Titans might not have won the Championship game, Coach Yoast could have received a place in the â€Å"Hall of Fame†, Gerry wouldn’t have had the car accident, they wouldn’t have accepted change, and they would still be as close minded, biased and prejudiced as they were the year before the game. The town showed a real change after the Titans won the Northern Regional Championship Game, all the people of the town whether they were black or white were there to cheer and congratulate the team on their victory. This was a huge change in the attitudes of the township. Although the change was hard, the town is better of being integrated due to the transformation after the win thanks to the Titans. It is the tragedies and mistakes within Remember the Titans that cause the community of Alexandria to learn and develop in order to ultimately benefit from the example of the Titans. Even though the town eventually advanced greatly from the example set by the Titans not everybody in the film was a ‘winner’. Ray Budds was part of the Titans, but as the team advanced in their acceptance Ray did not change in the way he felt about integration. Eventually he was removed from the team by the person who used to be his best friend, Gerry, after he â€Å"missed the block on purpose†. This consequence for Ray helps the team move forward together after gaining more unity and helping each other more, with no negative relationships in the team. Coach Yoast also had to sacrifice something to help the Titans; willingly Yoast gives up his spot in the â€Å"Hall of Fame† so that the team can fairly win one of the games of football they play. Even though he had worked extremely hard for that spot, he realised that it was not right to let the other team cheat on his behalf to acquire the Hall of Fame place. Coach Yoast understood that the people choosing the recipient were a â€Å"bunch of rednecks† and that himself and his daughter Sheryl would work just as hard to be the receiver of the Hall of Fame place next year, once the judgemental people realised he was a worthy recipient. Ultimately the town and the people in the town had to sacrifice some important things in their lives after they realised it was the right thing to do, making the town of Alexandria a better, happier, integrated town. Throughout Boaz Yakin’s Remember the Titans people change, to overall make the town of Alexandria a better place to live and work. No matter what race, people in Alexandria are accepted. Being able to accept something different is a difficult task and the Titans set the example and helped Alexandria as a whole to be winners. How to cite Remember the Titans, Papers

Success Essay Example For Students

Success Essay What makes a person successful? Does money, parents, or background guarantee success? The definition of success varies with each person, but to me one of the most essential definitions of a persons success is the impact they have on other people. Most of us hold pre-conceived notions of different socioeconomic backgrounds than our own. While people are truly impacted by these factors, some people can overcome them and reach success. Many people throughout history have prevailed over such obstacles as poverty, poor education, and poor parental guidance. For example, Abraham Lincoln had to struggle for a living and for learning, but he became a great leader and president. In my life, I have encountered a special person who has taught me that people really can overcome obstacles. The person who has taught me this important lesson is a special friend of mine. I met her when I was young and had no idea of the obstacles she had confronted or would face in the future. I realized that she was underprivileged, because she could not participate in expensive activities. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she found a way to learn and participate. For example, we would teach her fundamental gymnastics skills and she would practice at home. The thing that impressed me about her was that she never acted like she felt underprivileged, in fact, she always seemed proud of her family and her life. As we became better friends, I learned more about her and started to understand her troubles. As we entered middle school, I began to notice the small amount of clothes she had to wear and how crowded her undersized trailer seemed with five people living in it. I learned that she had lived in various cities and had numerous father figures. You would never hear her complain and she was always smiling. Now that we are in high school, she has made so much of herself. She has not only succeeded academically, but morally and socially. She has become one of the most caring and understanding friends I have. My friend has taught me more than any class or test. She has educated me about life. She has a reach for the stars attitude when I need guidance. She has showed me that anyone can overcome obstacles. I have learned to appreciate what I have and other people differences. It is easy to envy other people, but my friend never showed this feeling. She has taught me, through her example, to never feel embarrassed, but to always feel fortunate. Even though, my friend may never be famous or wealthy, she has become an outstanding person who has had a positive influence on others and me. The most impressive thing about my friend is her outgoing and totally cheerful personality. She has taught me that I can become anything if I just strive for the best. Knowing her has made me a better person and will certainly assist me in the future.